LAKELAND - A pilot project that allowed Albertans in a dozen communities access criminal record checks online will not proceed further. Alberta RCMP announced on Feb. 28 that the pilot, which included the St. Paul detachment, would end effective March 6.
"The pilot of the tool began in in the fall of 2021 in select detachments across the province in an effort to provide an option for efficient access to the public," according to RCMP.
But, the online tool and the platform model involved became a complex undertaking for the 12 detachments, and "it would not have been able to be efficiently expanded throughout the province," reads a media release from Alberta RCMP.
A number of key points of learning did occur over the past six months, and the technical and logistical insights will prove useful in the future, as RCMP looks to other options, such as finding a more user-friendly platform that could expand across the province.
"Being able to support the public with access to policing services online is a goal for the Alberta RCMP."
The pilot project began on Sept. 22, 2021.
"The timing of this tool is important and beneficial, as physical distancing measures have encouraged people to minimize gathering and proximity with others," reads the initial media release about the pilot project, dated Sept. 22, 2021.
Other communities that were part of the pilot included Bashaw, Cochrane, Consort, Drayton Valley, Drumheller, Grande Prairie, Provost, St. Albert, Sundre, and Sylvan Lake.
To obtain a criminal record check, the public can visit any local detachment or visit the RCMP website for more information.
"A criminal record check is obtained to determine if a person has been charged or convicted of a crime. Vulnerable sector checks (VSC) are included in the service provision for criminal record checks. A VSC is a police information check which is done to protect children and other vulnerable people from physical, sexual, mental, and financial abuse," according to RCMP.
